DECEMBER 15, 2018 Mirror-SpeTHE ARMENIAN ctator Volume LXXXIX, NO. 22, Issue 4566 $ 2.00 NEWS The First English Language Armenian Weekly in the United States Since 1932 INBRIEF Armenian Mirror- Pashinyan Spectator’s Annual Wins by Winter Break WATERTOWN — The last issue of the Armenian Mirror-Spectator before its annual Landslide in winter break will be that of December 22. Publishing will recommence with the issue of January 5, 2019. The Mirror-Spectator offices Low-Turnout will be closed starting December 24, and reopen on January 2. Election Former President YEREVAN (Combined Sources) Kocharyan Arrested — Armenia’s acting Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan won a convincing victory in the Again snap parliamentary election on Sunday, YEREVAN (Tass) — Former President Robert December 9, consolidating his authority. Kocharyan has been placed under arrest again and His bloc won more than 70 percent of is kept at a pre-trial facility in the building of the vote, the country’s election commission Armenia’s National Security Service in Yerevan, said. the service’s head Artur Vanetsyan said on A journalist turned politician, Pashinyan A little boy helps his father vote on December 9. December 7. spearheaded a peaceful revolution in April. On that day, the Court of Appeals upheld the first He now has a parliamentary majority to instance court’s ruling to arrest the former president, push through his program of tackling cor- ation in Europe (OSCE) said the elections Analysts say the 43-year-old will aim to had respected fundamental freedoms and keep his promises while staying in the good who is accused of overturning the constitutional system were characterized by genuine competi- books of Armenia’s key ally, Russia. in 2008. On the same day, Kocharyan decided not to tion. Pashinyan has said he hopes to “step up wait for the enforcement of the court order and Final official results show that the cen- co-operation with the United States and appeared at the National Security Service’s detention trist My Step Alliance, which includes European Union.” facility in person. Pashinyan’s Civil Contract Party, won 70.4 The revolution led by Pashinyan ousted On July 26, Armenia’s Special Investigative percent of the vote. the country’s 10-year President Serzh Service brought charges against former President Its nearest rival, the moderate see ELECTION, page 2 Robert Kocharyan (1998-2008) on overturning the Prosperous Armenia party won just over 8 constitutional system by force in 2008, and turned percent. Led by tycoon and arm-wrestling to court to sanction his arrest. Kocharayn was ques- champion Gagik Tsarukyan, it was part of tioned by investigators probing into the murders the ruling coalition in the outgoing parlia- Another Pashinyan-Aliyev during opposition protests on March 1, 2008. The ment. former president was placed in custody under a Conversation Reported court order on the following day. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan votes. Bright Armenia, a liberal pro-Western party, won about 6 percent of the vote, the ST. PETERSBURG (RFE/RL) — Armenian On August 13, Yerevan’s Court of Appeals ruled commission said. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan talked to to release Kocharyan who enjoyed immunity under ruption and reforming the economy. Poll Each party needed at least 5 percent of Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev on the national constitution. On November 15, turnout was low, at about 49 percent. the vote to enter the 101-seat National Thursday, December 6, at a summit of ex- Armenia’s Court of Cassation satisfied a request Historically, Armenia’s elections have Assembly. Soviet states held in the Russian city of from the Prosecutor General’s Office and referred been marred by fraud and vote-buying. Armenia’s constitution states that 30 per- Saint Petersburg, it emerged on Friday. Kocharyan’s case back to the Court of Appeals. However, international observers from cent of seats in parliament must go to oppo- Pashinyan said that the conversation the Organization for Security and Co-oper- sition parties. took place at a dinner hosted by Russian Armenia Ready to President Vladimir Putin for fellow leaders from the Commonwealth of Independent Normalize Turkey Ties States (CIS). Aliyev’s chief foreign policy aide, Hikmet YEREVAN (Armenpress) — Armenia announced its Hajiyev, confirmed that, saying that the two readiness to establish direct diplomatic relations with men discussed “the continuation of active Turkey without preconditions, acting Prime Minister of negotiations” on resolving the Nagorno- Armenia Nikol Pashinyan said at a meeting this week Karabakh conflict. He told the Trend news with the representatives of foreign media. agency that recent weeks’ decrease in cease- “We hope Turkey will take the same stance”, fire violations in the conflict zone is creat- Pashinyan said. ing a “good background” for making major Pashinyan also mentioned the preconditions that progress towards a peaceful settlement. can never be accepted, first of all Nagorno see TALKS, page 4 Karabakh issue. “Relations with Turkey are linked with Nagorno Karabakh issue and a 3rd country, I mean Azerbaijan,” he said. Eminent Armenologist Prof. Robert Hewsen Dies at 84 A famous photo taken immediately after the December 7, 1988 devastation in Spitak. NEW YORK — The Society for Armenian Studies (SAS) announced INSIDE Armenia Marks 30th Anniversary that on December 3, Prof. Robert Hewsen, a noted Armenologist, had Of Tragic Earthquake died. He was 84. see HEWSEN page 8 Tales of the YEREVAN (Combined Sources) — Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan chaired a special meeting of his cabinet in Gyumri on Friday, December 7, as Armenia marked the 30th anniversary of a catastrophic earthquake that killed more than Revolution 25,000 people and left hundreds of thousands of others homeless. Pashinyan also led an official commemoration ceremony in Armenia’s second Page 6 largest city, laying a wreath at a local memorial to the victims of the earthquake. “The greatest damage caused by the disaster was probably the devastations that occurred in people’s souls,” he said at the ceremony. The recent regime change in the country and reforms promised by its new government should help to “restore INDEX the people’s hopes, confidence and optimism,” he added. Arts and Living . 14 The magnitude 6.8 quake struck northwestern parts of what was then a Soviet Armenia . 2,3 republic of 3.5 million residents on the morning of December 7, 1988. Its epi- Community News. 6 center was near Spitak, a small town razed to the ground. Gyumri (known as Editorial . 18 Leninakan then) was also hit hard. International . 4,5 see EARTHQUAKE, page 3 2 S ATURDAY, D ECEMBER 1 5 , 2 0 1 8 T HE A RMENIAN M IRROR -S PECTATOR ARMENIA News From Armenia Pashinyan Wins by Landslide Woman Arrested for In Low-Turnout Election Stabbing 17-Year-old ELECTION, from page 1 also tried to put a brave face on its elec- “Election day proceeded calmly and YEREVAN (Armenpess) — An 18-year-old woman Sargsyan, a member of the Republic toral performance. “This is a defeat but peacefully with all stages assessed posi- was charged on December 11with stabbing a 17-year- Party. He was accused of clinging to not of our voters,” it said, describing the tively by almost all [mission] observers, old boy in Yerevan, the investigative committee said. power after taking on the newly- latter as principled individuals who voted indicating general adherence to the pro- The incident had taken place on the evening of enhanced role of prime minister when for a party program, rather than a popu- cedures,” read the statement. December 3 in the pedestrian tunnel that leads to the his term ended. lar individual. “The vote count was assessed posi- Hrazdan Gorge from Saryan Street. Now senior Republican Party figures A much larger number of other voters, tively in all but two polling stations A hospital contacted police at 19:15 upon having have accused Pashinyan of trying to turn a Dashnaktsutyun statement com- observed, indicating that the counting received the young man with a stabbing wound to the Armenia into 1930s Germany, and of plained, looked for an “internal enemy” process was conducted without signifi- chest. The victim is a resident of Yerevan. becoming a Hitler figure. and “shockingly” ignored grave chal- cant procedural violations,” it added. Police were quick to identify the suspect, an 18- His critics say his “cult of personality” year-old woman also from Yerevan. will weaken multi-party democracy. According to the investigative committee, the stab- Armen Ashotyan, vice-president of the bing occurred during a brawl involving more than 10 Republican Party, complained before the people in the tunnel. The woman was together with election that “all political parties were her seven friends when a fight broke out with the vic- deprived of time to prepare well.” tim and his three friends. A total of 1,260,000 citizens, or 48.63 The woman has been charged and released on a sig- percent of the population, participated in nature bond pending further proceedings. the early parliamentary elections of Police are looking for the people that were present Armenia, Central Election Commission at the incident. (CEC) chairman Tigran Mukuchyan informed. Russian Soldier Arrested Former President Serzh Sarkisian’s Republican Party (HHK) and the For Murder of Armenian Armenian Revolutionary Federation (ARF/Dashnaktsutyun) essentially Woman accepted on Monday official election results showing that they will no longer YEREVAN (Armenpress) — A Russian military ser- have seats in the country’s parliament. viceman has been arrested in connection with According to the preliminary results An election poster the death of a cleaning lady in Gyumri, general pros- released by the CEC, the Republican ecution spokesperson Arevik Khachatryan said on Party won 4.7 percent of the vote in December 11.